


wanna see you work out for me

by heart_nouveau



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gym, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, London, Sports Club, mentions of an emotionally abusive relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 19:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9285986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heart_nouveau/pseuds/heart_nouveau
Summary: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry, you must think I’m some sort of emotional wreck.”“I work in a gym,” Brienne said wryly. “I see people cry all day long. Usually I’m the one who’s making them cry. I love it.”





	

 

Brienne was working the desk on the equipment floor when she heard the noise of raised men’s voices, amplified in the echoing space of the gym. She rushed out from behind the desk to see that across the floor, two male figures were circling one another. People had paused their workouts to stare.

Brienne crossed the room in a few short strides. As she approached, she saw that one of the men was a short, spare blonde gym regular in his early twenties. He was glowering. The other man was tall, rangy, and dark. They were almost circling one another, but the shorter man’s face was set in anger while the other man's expression was conciliatory.

“Look, mate, I didn’t mean any offense,” the taller man was saying. “I didn’t know she was taken. No harm done, right?”

Brienne realised that there was another person involved here. A tall redheaded young woman was hovering anxiously at the periphery of the argument, her long hair pulled back into a French braid. She wore a sky blue workout top and black leggings, and seemed extremely distressed by the proceedings. “Joffrey, please just forget it,” she pleaded. “He didn’t know, and I was only being nice.”

“Shut up, Sansa,” the blonde man snapped at her.

“Look, she’s right,” the taller man said. Brienne recognized him from the register; his name was Harry Hardyng and he was the wealthy heir to at least one major international business. “I didn’t know, and she didn't want to be rude. Let’s just forget it.”

Joffrey stared at him with disdain in his eyes. Brienne took the opportunity to step up. “Gentlemen, is there a problem?”

“No,” said Harry, at the exact moment that Joffrey said, “Yes.”

“ _Joff_ —” the redheaded girl tried to cut in again, stepping forward, but he cut his eyes at her and actually pushed her away from him. He turned to Brienne, gave her an once-over, and didn’t seem to think much of what he saw. But that didn’t stop him from voicing his complaint. “Look, members of your gym are getting out of hand, I think. It’s not civilised to hit on someone else’s _girlfriend_.”

“Come on,” Brienne said, “let’s be adults, all right? It was a misunderstanding.”

Joffrey glared at the other man for a moment. “A misunderstanding,” he repeated, as if he strongly doubted it.

“Right,” Harry said.

There was a long, toxic silence as Joff considered this. “Fine,” he said at last. “As long as he keeps away from her.”

The girl looked pained. Harry darted an apologetic glance toward her. “I will. I’m really sorry,” he added, primarily to Sansa.

“It’s me you ought to be apologizing to,” Joffrey said sharply, and Harry shot him a disbelieving look.

“Fine. Sorry. Although,” Harry added, jerking his chin in the girl’s direction, “she’s gotta know she could do better than an arsehole like you, right? She’s well fit.”

Joffrey lunged at him. There was a shout from across the gym as Renly sprinted across the floor to separate them.

As Renly corralled the fighting men and invited them over to the desk to have a pointed chat about the rules of the establishment—Renly ran one of the most prestigious sports clubs in Kensington, and he wasn’t about to risk its reputation for anything—Brienne turned to the girl named Sansa, who hadn't moved. “Are you all right?”

Sansa turned to her, looking stunned. Her blue eyes were wide in her face. She was very lovely, Brienne realised. “Um—yes,” she managed. “Yes, I—I’m fine, thank you.”

“Would you like some water?” Brienne asked. She led Sansa over to the water cooler and handed her a paper triangle to drink from.

“He really made a scene, didn’t he?” Sansa asked faintly.

“Does he do that often?”

Sansa winced before answering. “Yes. He never used to, but—”

Just then Joffrey’s voice rang out across the gym. “Sansa! We’re going.” He called to his girlfriend, Brienne thought with a sudden spasm of disgust, as another man might call his dog.

Sansa swallowed hard. She crumpled her paper cup and tossed it into the bin. Standing, she nodded at Brienne gratefully. “Thank you for that.” Brienne could do nothing but watch her walk away.

 

 

The next time Sansa showed up to the sports club, she was alone. Brienne was arranging the towels behind the desk and when she turned around, there Sansa stood. Today the redhead was dressed in a black zip-up hoodie that clung to her body.

“Hello,” Brienne said, surprised. She reached for the membership card Sansa placed on the counter.

“Hi,” Sansa said, smiling at her. “How are you?”

“Fine, thanks,” Brienne said. “I think a better question is, how are you?”

Sansa sighed. “I'm fine. I just wanted to thank you for—what happened last time. You were really kind to me, and I appreciate it. And I apologize for how awful Joff was.”

“I have to say,” Brienne said, handing Sansa her towel, “I was a bit surprised by how he handled that. He was angry, but…”

“Didn’t seem to care how I felt?” Sansa laughed. “That’s fairly standard for Joff. Anyway,” she added lightly, “thanks for the towel. And thank you again for the water, and helping, and… just everything.” She headed off across the gym floor to exercise on the elliptical machine, and Brienne tried not to glance over so many times during her routine checks that Sansa felt uncomfortable.

 

 

The next week, she was rounding on the floor when she saw Sansa doing free weights by the mirror with a very determined look on her face. “Here,” she said, reaching over to correct Sansa’s form. "You want to be careful with the deadlifts. Don't arch your back too much or you'll strain something."

Sansa smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Later, Brienne was changing out of her work clothes at the end of her shift when she encountered Sansa in the changing room. Sansa was seated on the bench, evidently having just had a shower. Her long red hair hung wet and uncombed down her back. She was staring into space.

Brienne finished stowing her things in her bag and then uncertainly approached. “Hi—are you all right?”

Sansa looked up abruptly, the distracted look in her eyes clearing away as she recognised Brienne. “Oh, hello!” She paused. “I’m fine, just… my boyfriend and I had another fight. I had to get out of the house.”

“Oh, you live together?”

Sansa rolled her eyes. “So to speak. We’ve shared a flat ever since I graduated from uni.” She hesitated. “I just needed some space. He makes me so angry. He can be so controlling, and he never listens.” She sighed. “I… I don’t know. I don’t feel ready to go back there.”

“Well, I’ve just gotten off work,” Brienne said hesitantly. “If I can walk you anywhere, to a Tube stop, or…”

Sansa looked up at her with sudden interest. “Yes, that would be wonderful! If you don’t mind, we could go for coffee or dinner—on me, please. I'd like that.”

Brienne opened her mouth to protest awkwardly that no, of course she couldn’t, but somehow the words didn’t come out. So she found herself seated across from Sansa at a two-person table in the intimate late night lighting of a Thai restaurant.

Sansa had taken them to a place much fancier than any that Brienne frequented, just a few blocks from the sports club. Although Brienne worked in Kensington, she limited her shopping in the area to the coffee shop on the corner and the deli a few buildings down. She'd never felt entirely comfortable in this posh neighbourhood: it was where she worked, but not where she belonged.

“It’s on me,” Sansa said again, “so please, order anything you want. Do you like Thai food?”

“Of course,” Brienne said faintly, surveying the menu and feeling a bit dizzy at the prices.

“The pad see yew is very good,” Sansa pointed out. 

They perused the menu for a few moments.

“I’m so sorry,” Sansa said suddenly, “but what is your name?”

“Brienne.”

“That’s very pretty.”

Brienne found herself blushing. “Thank you.” Not many people said that about Brienne in any regard. But the younger woman was staring at her with a smile, and looked perfectly sincere.

They ordered, and Sansa asked Brienne a few questions about her job. How long she’d worked there, if she liked it, and so on. She was keenly approving and excited when Brienne shared that she was a judo enthusiast, and was training in all of her spare hours away from Renly's club for the ultimate goal of qualifying for Team GB in the next Summer Olympics. 

There was a bit of silence when the food came, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Sansa toyed with her chopsticks. “Look, I’m so sorry to always be complaining about my boyfriend. I really do appreciate you coming out with me tonight.”

“It sounds to me like you’ve got reason to complain,” Brienne said mildly. She didn't often try to broach awkward topics with strangers, but she didn't know how even Renly, the most socially gifted person she knew, would go about telling a near-stranger that her boyfriend’s behaviour was borderline abusive. “What was… what did you fight about?”

Sansa made a noise of frustration. “Well, it was similar to what you saw that one day. He hates me going out by myself, which is why we always used to come to the sports club together. He’s always trying to tell me how I can or can’t dress. He won’t go to the club anymore after that fight, and he didn’t want me to come anymore either. But I got around him by saying that I had to exercise, after all—and you know what he said? He said that was right, I wouldn’t be attractive any more if I got fat, so he let me go. God, he’s such a prick!” she exploded suddenly, causing several nearby diners to turn their heads around in surprise before going back to their meals.

Brienne took a slow bite of pad thai. “That sounds terrible.”

“It is.” Sansa’s shoulders were shaking. “I get so angry with him, and he never listens.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Brienne began slowly, “why are you still with him?”

Sansa gave a shuddering laugh. “You know, I don’t know. I really don’t. I used to think it was romantic when he got all possessive, but… I don’t know.”

There were tears starting in her eyes. Horrified, Brienne made as if to rustle in her sports kit for a tissue before remembering she didn’t have any. Instead, she deliberated for a panicky moment before reaching over to squeeze Sansa’s hand where it rested on the table. Sansa glanced up at her briefly, bemused, but then squeezed back with surprising strength. After a beat she drew a deep breath and released it, sniffling. She withdrew her hand from Brienne’s and wiped away her tears.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry, you must think I’m some sort of emotional wreck.”

“I work in a gym,” Brienne said wryly. “I see people cry all day long. Usually I’m the one who’s making them cry. I love it.”

Sansa laughed. “You certainly are tougher than I am.” She paused, suddenly seeming to wrestle with a thought on her mind. “I’m sorry, this is so terribly rude, but—are you… are you gay?”

Brienne raised her eyebrows. “Am I gay?”

Sansa started to flush horribly. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe I just said that. I’m so, so sorry. Please just forget it.”

Brienne almost felt bad for her. “The answer is no, I’m not, at least I don’t think so. Are you?”

Sansa choked back a panicked laugh. “Well, I’ve only ever been with _Joff_ , so I suppose I couldn’t tell you! I’m so sorry,” she said again, hurriedly. “I really didn’t mean to say that. It’s just that—Joff, he…” She paused and sighed. “He called you some really nasty names after that time you stopped him fighting. He said you must be a dyke, because you look the way do and you work in a sports club. And then you touched my hand, and I… I don’t know what I thought. I’m so, so sorry. Please forgive me, I’ve made a complete fool of myself.”

“It’s fine, Sansa,” Brienne said. She shook her head. “If Joffrey says it, it must be true, eh?”

“God, I don’t know what is wrong with me!” Sansa said in a strangled voice. “It’s like all the horrible things he says just get trapped in my head like poison, and I can’t get them out. It’s always what Joff says, what Joff wants; I’m always doing whatever he wants me to do. It’s as if I’ve forgotten how to be my own person.”

Brienne took another sip of her Singha beer and considered this for a while.

“Look,” she said at last, “if it’s not working for you, then you should end it. I don’t have a lot of experience with relationships, but I do have a lot of experience not taking any shit from people. And that’s what I think.”

“It’s harder than it sounds, though,” Sansa said quietly.

Brienne paused. “I'm sure it is. But sometimes, Sansa, things are only as hard as we want them to be.”

 

 

Brienne was sorting the latest shipment of kettlebells in the equipment room, searching for the 10-kg ones, when she was interrupted.

“Someone’s here to see you,” Renly said behind her. There was a teasing note in his voice that was unfamiliar. She whirled around. “I can finish that for you,” he said. “I think you should go, now.”

“Thanks,” she said, squeezing past him with an expectant, confused feeling in her chest.

It was Sansa. She was dressed in street clothes, long red hair falling down over her beige bomber jacket, and she was glowing. In her hand she had a coffee takeaway cup, which she handed to Brienne immediately.

Brienne handled it uncertainly, glancing at the paper cup and back down at Sansa. “Oh... thanks?”

“It’s to say thank you,” Sansa explained, her smile growing wider. “For your advice, and all your help. Because—” she took a deep breath, and then burst out in excitement, “I did it. I broke up with Joffrey.”

“That’s wonderful!” Brienne exclaimed. She moved as if to hug Sansa, but awkwardly resisted. She wasn’t sure what to do… a high five? What would be appropriate here?

“I couldn’t have done it without what you said,” Sansa said breathlessly. “About things only being as hard as we make them, and all. I realised I was just so scared to let things go and make a change, but you made me realise that there were so many better things out there that could happen if I just chucked Joffrey once and for all.”

Brienne was beaming in spite of herself. This was possibly the best thank-you she’d ever gotten, apart from the client who’d said that Brienne had helped reduce the severity of her osteoporosis with strength training. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

“It’s a hazelnut soy latte,” Sansa explained, nodding at the drink in Brienne’s hand. “It’s my favorite, I reckoned you might like it too…”

“Oh!” Brienne took a hasty sip to show that she liked it, and burned her tongue in the process. “Ow—it’s really good, thanks.”

Sansa was watching her with a soft expression. “So, I hope you don’t mind, but—this is also to say thank you.” She stepped forward, leaned up on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to Brienne’s cheek.

Brienne stared at her. With a determined expression, Sansa leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to Brienne’s lips.

“I know you said you’re not gay,” Sansa said carefully, looking at Brienne in the eyes. “And… I don’t know if I am either. But I just wanted to do that. I hope that’s all right.”

“It’s… all right,” Brienne managed to get out. She nodded. “That was fine, that was… That was nice.”

Sansa heaved an embarrassed laugh, gazing down at the toes of her flats. “So could I maybe… take you to dinner again? Properly, this time?”

“Sure,” Brienne said, feeling dazed. Since when had this become her life?

They exchanged numbers and agreed on Saturday night, and to settle the details later in the week. Smiling, Sansa departed through the sports club’s doors, turning to wave farewell to Brienne as she went.

“Well done,” Renly said approvingly from behind the desk, and Brienne blushed and punched him on the shoulder as she passed. “Seriously, well done.”  
  
And Brienne couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure when this was originally written, but it was in my Google docs. Re-edited January 2017. 
> 
> I am not British; if I got anything really wrong, you can message me on Tumblr here ([x](http://roseroadkingsroad.tumblr.com/)).
> 
> I didn't intend for this to come across as "positive thinking can break the cycle of abusive relationships." What I was trying to convey was that Sansa was a bit stuck in her relationship with Joffrey, which was less severe than in canon. Anyway, if you disliked the portrayal, feel free to yell at me in the comments. I recently saw [this post/resource](http://foreveralwaysandtoday.tumblr.com/post/154212620400/hansbekhart-xsourpussx-egodram) on abusive relationships and it seems very relevant to post here.
> 
> Title from "Work Out" by J. Cole.


End file.
